288 GOBIAD^E. 



ACANTHOPTERYG1L GOBIADJE. 



v - \ \ \\ X 'vXN V '._\__ _^ 



THE FRECKLED GOBY, OR SPOTTED GOBY. 

 POLEWIG. Thames Fishermen. 



Gobius minittiis, Cvv.et VALENC. Hist. Nat. des Poiss. t. xn. p. 39. 



,, ,, Boulereau blanc, CUVIER, Regne An. t. ii. p. 243. 



,, ,, Spotted Goby, PENN. Brit. Zool. vol. iii. p. 290, pi. 41. 



,, ,, ,, ,, DON. Brit. Fish. pi. 38. 



,, ,, ,, ,, FLEM. Brit. An. p. 206, sp. 118. 



,, ,, ,, ,, JENYNS, Brit. Vert. p. 386. 



THE SPOTTED GOBY of Pennant and others, which might 

 rather be termed the Freckled Goby, is not only common on 

 all our sandy shores, where it is constantly to be obtained of 

 the shrimpers in whose nets it is taken, but is also most 

 plentiful in the Thames, where it is known to the fishermen 

 by the names of Polewig, or Pollybait : the larger-sized spe- 

 cimens being taken to sea by the line fishermen to be placed 

 on their hooks for bait. 



The length of the adult is usually about three inches ; 

 the head is large ; the eyes near the upper surface closely 

 approximating, the iriclcs blue ; the mouth wide, furnished 

 with numerous small pointed teeth in several rows, curving 

 inwards : the dorsal fins distinct, the rays slender and flexi- 

 ble, the anterior rays of the second dorsal fin rather longer 

 than the posterior ones ; pectoral and ventral fins large ; the 



